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(Mammalia, Carnivora) in the Miocene of Bulgaria

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(Mammalia, Carnivora) in the Miocene of Bulgaria © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Mitt. Bayer. Staatsslg. Paläont. hist. Geol. 42 83-101 München, 15. 12. 2002 The first appearance of Dinocrocuta gigantea and Machairodus aphanistus (Mammalia, Carnivora) in the Miocene of Bulgaria N ikolai Spassov & G eorge D. K oufos With 9 figures Abstract Some interesting carnivores from the late Miocene of Bulgaria coming from two different localities are studied in this article. A part of the material was found in the locality of Nessebar, near Bourgas and the rest in the area of Blagoevgrad (SW Bulgaria). The studied material has been determined to Dinocrocuta gigantea and Machairodus aphanistus. Both species were unknown in the Bulgarian late Miocene until now and their presence enlarges our knowledge about their distribution. The age of both localities is also discussed on the basis not only of the carnivores but of the rest fauna too. The localities have been dated to Vallesian without possibility for a more precise age ( MN biozones) because of the scarce material and the lack of sufficient data. Kurzfassung Es werden einige interessante Carnivoren aus den Obermiozän von Bulgarien beschrieben, die aus zwei verschiedenen Gebieten kommen. Ein Teil des Materials wurde an der Lokalität Nessebar bei Burgas gefunden, das übrige im Gebiet von Blagoevgrad (SW-Bulgarien). Das untersuchte Material wurde als Dinocrocuta gigantea und Machairodus aphanistus bestimmt. Beide Arten waren im bulgarischen Obermiozän bisher unbekannt und ihre Gegenwart erweitert unsere Kenntnis über ihre Verbreitung. Das Alter beider Fundstellen wird nicht nur auf der Basis der Carnivoren, sondern auch der Gesamtfauna diskutiert. Beide wurden ins Vallesium eingestuft, da das spärliche Material und das Fehlen weiterer Daten eine genauere Einstufung (MN Biozonen) nicht erlauben. *) Addresses of the authors. N. Spassov , National Museum of Natural History, Blvd.T zar Osvoboditel1 , 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. G. D. K oufos , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Laboratory of Geology and Palaeontology, 54006 Thessaloniki, Greece, e-mail: koufos(3'geo.auth.gr 83 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Aivd <>l llit' most prol\ihlf plat e of the Bldgtx'vgrad lot dlilv Fig. I. Map of Bulgaria indicating the geographic position of the localities. 1. Introduction The late Miocene localities of Bulgaria are quite numerous, while a great amount of fossils have been collected (Bakalov & N ikolov 1962; N ikolov 1985; Spassov 2000). The material is stored in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) of Sofia, its branch in Assenovgrad and in the University of Sofia. Among the collections of the NMNII one of the authors (N. S.) found some remains of carnivores from two different localities. One tooth of a large percrocutid and another of a machairodont come from the locality of Nessebar (Fig. 1). The specimens are labeled by 1. Nikolov asMa.chairod.ns sp. Some fragments of teeth and one lower carnassial of a large percrocutid are also found with a label referring“Percrocuta senyiireki“ and Blagoevgrad area as their locality. The sediment’s remains on the teeth indicate that they come from coal-bearing layers. Probably the teeth were brought to I. Nikolov by some industrial research geologists or the miners. Since now, the large percrocutids were unknown in the Miocene of Bulgaria and very rare in Europe. In the Balkan Peninsula they are known from three localities.Percrocuta miocemca is known from the middle Miocene locality of Prebreza, in Yugoslavia(P avlovic & T henius 1965). Two large forms are also referred from the late Miocene of Axios valley (Macedonia, Greece), Dinocrocuta gigantea from the Vallesian locality of “Pentalophos 1“ andDinocrocuta salomcae from the PVallesian locality of Diavata (K oufos 1995). The genus Dinocrocuta is also referred from the PTurolian localities of Los Aljezares and Adernuz, Spain by few remains (Soria 1980). Very fragmentary remains, probably belonging to a relatively small Dinocrocuta, are recently found in the early Turolian locality of Dorn-Dürkheim 1, Germany (Morlo 1997). 84 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at The Miocene Machairodus finds are also very rare in Bulgaria. A lower carnassial of “Machairodus schlosseri“ (= Paramacbairodus orientalis) and a Machairodus humerus are re­ ferred from Kalimanci district (Bakalov & N ikolov 1962). An undescribed skull associated with the mandible of Machairodus giganteus is also known from the Turolian locality of Hadjidimovo and stored in the Palaeontological Museum of Assenovgrad(K ovachev pers. comm.; Spassov in press). The studied specimen was found in the locality of Nessebar (Fig. 1) and the attribution to Machairodus aphanistus certifies the presence of this species in Bulgaria. 2. Localities The locality of Nessebar (old Turkish cemetery) is situated northeastern to the city of Bourgas across the Bulgarian seashores of the Black Sea (Fig. 1). The initial collection from this locality was described by Bakalov & N ikolov (1962), while later revised by N ikolov (1985). According to the later author the deposits consist of sandstones and limestones. The few traces of the sediments on the studied specimens suggest that they possibly come from the sandstone level. The determined mammalian fauna from Nessebar suggests Sarmatian (= Vallesian) age, while the mollusks indicate a middle Sarmatian age (N ikolov 1985). The exact site of the Blagoevgrad material is unknown. Taking in mind, the traces of lignite on the fossils and their taxonomic status, the studied remains originate from the Neogene lignitic deposits of the area. The lignitic deposits outcrop near the villages of Oranovo and Arnautska Mahala, about 10 km south of Blagoevgrad (Fig. 1). The age of the deposits is questionable yet, most probably Sarmatian-Maeotian, i.e. roughly corresponding to Vallesian (Marinova 1993). 3. Systematic Palaeontology Family Percrocutidae W erdelin & Solounias 1991 Genus Dinocrocuta Schmidt -K ittler 1976 Dinocrocuta g i g a n t(S echlosser a 1903) (Figs 2,3) Localities: Nessebar (old Turkish cemetery), Bourgas area, SE Bulgaria; Blagoevgrad vicinity (Oranovo - Arnautska Mahala region?), SW Bulgaria. Age: Vallesian, late Miocene. Material: Nessebar: Left upper carnassial, FM 1504. Blagoevgrad: Left P, FM 1500; fragment of the right upper canine, FM 1502; fragment of the left lower canine, FM 1501; right lower carnassial, FM 1503. All specimens from Blagoevgrad probably belong to one individual. Measurements (in mm): P4 FM 1504: Length=50.8; Length paracone+metacone = 33.9; Breadth at the protocone = (25); Breadth at the parastyle = 16.5 P FM 1500: Mesiodistal diameter = 18.0 Buccolingual diameter = 13.5 Cs FM 1502: Mesiodistal diameter = 29.0 Buccolingual diameter = - Mj FM 1503: Length = 37.8; Breadth = 18.2; Length of trigonid = 34.3 85 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Description. P. It is robust, canine-like (Fig. 3a), flattened laterally and it has a very large contact surface with I2. The tip of the cusp is curved distally and preserves a labial and lingual crest. The latter contacts a triangular, well pronounced lingual cingulum. Cs. The available specimen preserves the upper part of the canine having a weak wearing facet for the lower canine on its frontal surface (Fig. 3b). P4. This unique tooth from Nessebar is totally unworn and belongs to a juvenile-subadult individual (Fig. 2). Before the preparation of the tooth part of the maxillary the bone was in connection with the basal half part of the tooth, showing that it was still not completely erupted. The tooth is long and narrow labio-lingually. The lingual surface of the cusp is more rounded than the labial one. The parastyle is relatively reduced, strongly pointed and assymetrical with strongly inclined and much longer mesial surface (Fig. 2c). A well pronounced vertical crest is present in its lingual and mesial surface and a weaker third one between them (Fig. 2c). The enamel crust of the protocone was damaged but we can judge about its form by the calciferous stuffing which forms a “cast“ of the protocone. The protocone is reduced and directed obliquely in front and upwards. Its transverse diameter is at least V3 shorter than the transverse diameter of the parastyle. The protocone seems to lack a real tip and it is like a mesiolingual projection of the base of parastyle and paracone (Fig. 2 a,c). The mesial border of the protocone does not exceed the mesial surface of the parastyle, while its distal border reaches the contact between the parastyle and the paracone. A well expressed transversal groove separates the parastyle from the paracone. The paracone is longer, broader and much higher than the parastyle. It preserves a well pronounced crest on its mesial surface, a trace of such a crest from the top on the labio-distal surface, and a sharp edge on its distal surface. The metastyle is slightly higher than the parastyle. It is long, evidently longer than the paracone and it is separated from this cusp by a deep and narrow groove. A slight, groove-like, depression is marked from the top of the labial surface of the metastyle separating this in two (anterior and posterior) parts. In occlusal and lateral view the paracone and metastyle edges form a wide angle, indicating high cutting specialization. A weakly pronounced cingulum is present in the lingual surface of the paracone-metastyle complex. No cingulum exists on the labial surface of the tooth. C. The specimen lacks the root (Fig. 3c). A clear wearing facet is distinguished in its distolabial surface. Mr It belongs to an adult individual with strong wearing facet in the para- and protoconid (Figs 3d-f). The lower carnassial has a very strong mesial root and a strong derived trigonid; its vestibular surface is slightly convex and the lingual one slightly concave. The paraconid is longer and broader than the protoconid but the latter is evidently higher than the former.
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